This invention relates generally to installing bolt retainers and more particularly to devices for installing bolt retainers onto bolts in gas turbine engines.
A gas turbine engine includes a compressor that provides pressurized air to a combustor wherein the air is mixed with fuel and ignited for generating hot combustion gases. These gases flow downstream to a turbine section that extracts energy therefrom to power the compressor and provide useful work such as powering an aircraft in flight. A typical gas turbine engine compressor includes a rotor having several rows of circumferentially-spaced rotor blades, which are interposed with several rows of circumferentially-spaced compressor stator vanes. Each corresponding row of rotor blades and stator vanes comprises a stage of the compressor. As ambient air flows through each succeeding compressor stage during operation, it is successively compressed to produce the compressed air that is supplied to the combustor.
A compressor rotor ordinarily includes a plurality of structural elements joined together by bolted joints. For example, one common configuration includes a forward spool (comprising the first and second stages), a forward shaft, a rotor disk (comprising the third stage), and a rear spool (comprising the remaining stages) all bolted together. Typically, the compressor rotor is assembled by inserting the bolts, which are often referred to as slab head bolts, into bolt holes formed in an outer flange on the rear spool. Then, the remaining elements are stacked onto the bolts, and a nut is screwed onto each bolt to complete the assembly.
In many instances, a bolt retainer is installed onto each slab head bolt to retain the bolts in place during the assembly process. The bolt retainers are essentially C-shaped clips that are clipped into a recessed portion of the bolts such that the rear spool flange is located between the bolt heads and the retainers. In this position, the retainers prevent the bolts from falling out while the other rotor elements are being stacked thereon.
The retainers must slide along the face of the rear spool flange, making contact with the flange, to be installed correctly, and the bolt must be installed completely such that the bolt head makes contact with the underside of the spool flange. Otherwise, a retainer will be installed onto a larger diameter portion of the bolt, causing the retainer to plastically deform. This installation must also be done without damaging the face of the rear spool flange. Currently, the retainers are installed either by hand or with common pliers. This approach can be somewhat time consuming, resulting in increased overall assembly time and cost. The current approach can also result in improperly installed retainers and/or damage to the rear spool flange face.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means for quickly and precisely installing bolt retainers onto slab head bolts without damaging the retainer or the rear spool flange face.
The above-mentioned need is met by the present invention, which provides a device for installing a bolt retainer onto a bolt. The device includes a support bar and a handle attached to the support bar. A retainer dispensing assembly mounted to the support bar includes a rail capable of holding a number of bolt retainers thereon. A retainer seat is attached to the support bar, and the retainer seat and retainer dispensing assembly are relatively positioned so that the retainer dispensing assembly delivers bolt retainers to the retainer seat. A slide member is slidingly mounted in a channel in the support arm. The slide member slides between a first position in which it engages a bolt retainer on the retainer seat and a second position in which it drives the bolt retainer onto a bolt.